The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family
Congridae. The majority of garden eels live in the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
, but species are also found in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean (including the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
) and East Pacific.
These small
eels live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from their practice of poking their heads from their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. Since they tend to live in groups, the many eel heads "growing" from the sea floor resemble the plants in a garden. They vary greatly in colour depending on the exact species involved. The largest species reaches about in length, but most species do not surpass .
[ Garden eel colonies can grow as large as one acre in surface area.]
Species
Based on FishBase
FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web. , about 10 species of garden eels are in two genera:Galzin's garden eel
''Gorgasia galzini'', the speckled garden eel or Galzin's garden eel, is a species of garden eel. This marine fish lives in the Pacific Ocean, where found at depths of from Guam and the Coral Sea to the Society Islands
The Society Islands (fre ...
, ''Gorgasia galzini'' Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
& Randall Randall may refer to the following:
Places
United States
*Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community
* Randall, Indiana, a former town
*Randall, Iowa, a city
*Randall, Kansas, a city
*Randall, Minnesot ...
, 1999
** Hawaiian garden eel, ''Gorgasia hawaiiensis'' Randall & Chess, 1980
** '' Gorgasia inferomaculata'' ( Blache, 1977)
** Pacific spaghetti eel, ''Gorgasia japonica'' T. Abe, Miki & Asai, 1977
** Klausewitz's garden eel, ''Gorgasia klausewitzi'' Quéro & Saldanha, 1995
** Whitespotted garden eel, ''Gorgasia maculata'' Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1959
** Freckled garden eel, ''Gorgasia naeocepaea'' ( J. E. Böhlke, 1951)
** Splendid garden eel, ''Gorgasia preclara'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** Dotted garden eel
The dotted garden eel (''Gorgasia punctata''), also known as the peppered garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). , ''Gorgasia punctata'' Meek & Hildebrand, 1923
** ''Gorgasia sillneri
''Gorgasia sillneri'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[''Gorgasia sill ...](_blank)
'' Klausewitz, 1962
** Sharp-nose garden eel, ''Gorgasia taiwanensis'' K. T. Shao, 1990
** '' Gorgasia thamani'' D. W. Greenfield & Niesz, 2004
* '' Heteroconger''
** '''' Castle & Randall, 1999
** '' Heteroconger camelopardalis'' ( Lubbock, 1980)
** White-ring garden eel
The white-ring garden eel (''Heteroconger canabus''), also known as the Cape garden eel in Mexico, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). , ''Heteroconger canabus'' ( G. I. McT. Cowan & Rosenblatt Rosenblatt is a surname of German and Jewish origin, meaning " rose leaf". People with this surname include:
*Albert Rosenblatt (born 1936), New York Court of Appeals judge
*Dana Rosenblatt, known as "Dangerous" (born 1972), American boxer
*Elie R ...
, 1974)
** '' Heteroconger chapmani'' ( Herre, 1923)
** Cobra garden eel
''Heteroconger cobra'', sometimes known as the cobra garden eel, is a species of garden eel of the family Congridae, found in the western Central Pacific from Honiara, the Solomon Islands to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(; Tok Pisin: ''Po ...
, ''Heteroconger cobra'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** '' Heteroconger congroides'' ( D'Ancona, 1928)
** Pale green eel, ''Heteroconger digueti'' ( Pellegrin, 1923)
** Enigma garden eel Castle & Randall, 1999
** Spotted garden eel, ''Heteroconger hassi'' (Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1959)
** Galapagos garden eel
The Galapagos garden eel (''Heteroconger klausewitzi'') is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). , ''Heteroconger klausewitzi'' (Eibl-Eibesfeldt & Köster, 1983)
** Masked garden eel, ''Heteroconger lentiginosus'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** Brown garden eel, ''Heteroconger longissimus'' Günther, 1870
** , ''Heteroconger luteolus'' D. G. Smith, 1989
** Mercy's garden eel G. R. Allen & Erdmann Erdmann is a first name and surname, and may refer to:
Surname
*Carl Erdmann (1898—1945), German historian
*Eduard Erdmann (1896—1958), Baltic German pianist and composer
*Hans Otto Erdmann (1896–1944), member of the German resistance
*Hugo E ...
, 2009
** Obscure garden eel
''Heteroconger obscurus'', the obscure garden eel,Mimic garden eel
The mimic garden eel (''Heteroconger pellegrini''), also known as the speckled garden eel, is a species of garden eel
The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of garden eels live in th ...
, ''Heteroconger pellegrini'' Castle, 1999
** Black garden eel J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** Zebra garden eel
The zebra garden eel (''Heteroconger polyzona''), also known as the banded garden eel, Bleeker, 1868
** Taylor's garden eel
Taylor's garden-eel (''Heteroconger taylori'') is a heteroconger belonging to the family Congridae. It is native to the central Indo-Pacific.
Description
Taylor's garden-eel is a small fish that can reach a maximum length of 48 cm. Its ...
Castle & Randall, 1995
** '' Heteroconger tomberua Castle & Randall, 1999
** Castle & Randall, 1999
References
Congridae
Taxa named by Albert Günther
{{Anguilliformes-stub